Five Bold Predictions for Indiana Men’s Soccer in 2015

Here are my five bold predictions for Indiana men’s soccer in 2015. I encourage you to comment on what you agree and disagree with plus any bold predictions of your own.

Indiana will draw with Notre Dame and lose its first conference game versus Penn State.

Both Indiana and Notre Dame saw five regular starters depart from their 2014 squads. The Fighting Irish appear at No. 4 in the NSCAA preseason poll – including one vote for the top spot – after losing to eventual champion Virginia in the third round of last year’s NCAA Tournament as the overall top seed.

The powerhouse rivals have met every year since 2001, battling 13 contests in the regular season and three in the NCAA Tournament. In those 16 matches, Indiana has the slight advantage in wins at eight to Notre Dame’s seven, as well as in the 23-18 scoring aggregate.

Led by 2014 Hermann Trophy Semifinalist and ACC Offensive Player of the Year Patrick Hodan, Notre Dame will be more than motivated to earn a result on Jerry Yeagley Field after dropping last season’s match 1-0 on the same pitch, and again falling to the Hoosiers 2-1 in double overtime this past April in Fort Wayne. Of course, the Hoosiers will also be amped for arguably the most anticipated and pivotal game on the regular season schedule, so I predict an intense 1-1 draw.

Penn State represents not only Indiana’s first conference opponent, also its first true road match. The preseason No. 23 team lost five regular starters from its 2014 group that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, but return surefire Offensive Player of the Year candidate Connor Maloney, who, like Grant Lillard and three Maryland Terrapins, participated in the U.S. U-23 College ID Camp after scoring 10 goals and assisting three in his sophomore season.

The Nittany Lions were also Indiana’s first conference opponent last season when they upset the Hoosiers 1-0 in Bloomington. Penn State pulled off the upset in 2013, too, defeating Indiana 2-0 in Armstrong Stadium. I expect the trend to continue this year in State College.

Indiana will win the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles.

There isn’t a runaway favorite in the Big Ten this year, though the upper echelon has been clearly defined as Indiana, Maryland and Michigan State. Maryland introduced itself to the Big Ten last season in emphatic fashion by taking home both conference crowns and sweeping Indiana in the process. The Terrapins knocked off the Hoosiers 2-1 in Bloomington then again in the tournament championship as host by the same tally, two bitterly vivid memories that will serve as fuel for Indiana when it looks to return the favor on Oct. 16 in College Park.

Maryland won the 2014 regular season title with a 5-2-1 record, the same record with which I predict the Hoosiers finish on top of the regular season conference standings for the first time since 2010. I also expect a rematch in the tournament championship game, this time in Bloomington where Indiana will exact revenge in a nail-biter.

Indiana will advance to the College Cup but lose the semifinal.

The Hoosiers’ dual conference crown season will establish a convincing argument for the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and provide a relatively easier path to their 19^th College Cup appearance in Kansas City than what was presented to them last season.

This team is highly talented, experienced and could potentially have excellent depth, but I don’t anticipate seeing the national champion-caliber “it factor” that a team needs to possess to triumph over another zoned-in, elite team in the College Cup, college soccer’s biggest and most mentally demanding stage. Like the 2012 national champions, the 2015 squad will be filled with upperclassmen but the former, following a disappointing regular season, advanced through the postseason with a level of toughness, tenacity and resilience that is uncommon in college soccer.

The 2012 team was highlighted by a widely considered top-five player in the country in Eriq Zavaleta and deployed a back five anchored by seniors Caleb Konstanski and Luis Soffner that stifled virtually everything that came their way. I just don't anticipate a similar enough composition in the 2015 group and believe its admirable season will conclude in the semifinals. Perhaps this critique is unfair in the preseason, but anyone who followed the team last year and recognized the inconsistency would also have to question if it owns those three aforementioned qualities at the supreme standard required to be a national champion.

Tanner Thompson and Femi Hollinger-Janzen will each register at least 20 points and be selected as NSCAA All-Americans.

There’s not much to say that the headline doesn’t. The two focal points of the offense will fulfill their hefty expectations and lead this team to the top of the conference and a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. I project at least eight goals and four assists out of Thompson and Femi this season, improving on their 2014 production of six goals with three assists and five goals with two assists, respectively.

Indiana will occupy five spots on the All-Big Ten first and second teams, as well as Coach and Midfielder of the Year.

First team: Tanner Thompson, Femi Hollinger-Janzen, Grant Lillard
Second team: Matt Foldesy, Colin Webb
Midfielder of the Year: Tanner Thompson
Coach of the Year: Todd Yeagley

In 2014, Thompson and Femi were named to the first team while Lillard made the second team and was voted Freshman of the Year. Maryland led the way with five first and second team selections, two of which (MF Mael Corboz and D Chris Odio-Atsem) return.